The Adventures of the USS Yorktown: Divine Engine
by Gosunkugi
Summary: Disaster strikes during the early voyages of Starfleet's latest ship. With an unpredictable Captain and a ragtag crew, can they avoid catastrophe and discover the mystery behind the accident before a familiar enemy comes calling?


The Adventures of the

USS Yorktown

Divine Engine

PART ONE

The deck plates gave a barely perceptible shudder underneath the feet of Lieutenant Commander Ri Dugahn and he paused mid-stride to roll his eyes in frustration. Running a hand slowly down the wall of the corridor he held his breath in readiness. A small vibration was all he needed and he exhaled loudly.

Stepping off the turbolift onto the bridge of the Yorktown, Ri took a moment to check his growing impatience; as much as he would love to loudly hammer home the failings of this supposed _new_ ship to the Captain, he knew enough about protocol to avoid embarrassment.

Captain Darin Harker handed the data PADD to the attractive young ensign and eased back into his chair. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Ri pacing quietly between the turbolift and the computer terminal. "Checking for dust, Mr. Dughan?"

The Bajoran seemed to be caught off guard. "What? Oh… my apologies, Captain. I was wondering if I may have a moment of your time"

Harker smiled. "At ease there, please, be my guest."

"In private sir?" Ri's tone betrayed his frustration.

Harker felt the change in the air, the rise in tension and so it appeared, did the rest of the Bridge crew. Just over two weeks out of Mars orbit, everyone seemed to be biding their time and waiting for the next thing to go wrong. "My ready room then," he eventually said. He turned to his First Officer, who had chosen a point on the viewscreen and fixed his eyes full ahead. "Mr. Allen, you have the Bridge."

Ri walked in ahead of Harker and resisted the urge to complain again, he hated untidiness and the Captain's so called ready room was to his eyes, filthy. The contents of several travel cases were strewn around the floor and a number of PADDS lay cluttered on the table, as if to add insult to injury, a crumpled uniform lay across the back of the spare chair. The Captain sat behind his desk and picked up a half full cup of what smelled like Klingon coffee. "What seems to be the problem, Mr. Dugahn?" he asked with a warm smile.

Ri grunted inwardly at the second inappropriate use of his Bajoran family name in as many minutes and cleared his throat. "I've noticed in the last few hours some odd tremors in the ship sir, at regular intervals. Every few minutes in fact, a small shaking in the hull."

"Can I offer you a drink Lieutenant Commander?" Harker said, apparently ignoring what his Chief Engineer had just said.

"I … no sir, thank you…." answered Ri, his eyebrow threatening to rise.

Harker took a sip of his cold beverage and gestured somewhat theatrically. "Please…continue."

"I ran a diagnostic whilst I was on the bridge and it came up negative," explained Ri. "It's not an engineering problem, the warp systems are running fine."

"Do you have any ideas what could be causing it?

Ri sighed and pressed the bridge of his ridged nose between his thumb and forefinger. "Off the record sir, this ship is a little… well, it's a damn annoyance is what it is."

Harker smiled and nodded, setting his cup back on the desk and folding his fingers under his chin. "There's no need to be so formal, Commander... what do you need?"

The Bajoran let out a slight sarcastic laugh. "Aside from another month at Utopia Planetia refitting the entire hull? Sir, you're aware that we're flying on borrowed time here - using recycled components to the quantity we have is extremely dangerous. Quite frankly I'm amazed we didn't tear ourselves apart the moment we went to warp"

The Captain grinned. "That'd be quite a sight for the Admiral, don't you think?"

If Dugahn caught the joke he gave no sign. "Yes… sir, it would," he said flatly.

Harker ran a hand through his thinning hair and sighed. "Hmm, OK - if my Engineer isn't satisfied I guess we have a problem. Commander, you have my permission to investigate further. Examine every inch of the ship if you have to and get to the bottom of this."

Ri looked at him poker-faced. "Sir, that could take days."

All trace of humour had vanished from the Captain's face. "You have your orders _Mr_. Ri."

Sitting at the Helm, Ensign Heidi Ricardo suppressed a yawn and ran her eyes down the status panel of the terminal for the fifth time in as many minutes. There didn't seem to be any change to her eyes. There was nothing at the Academy that mentioned how boring flying a Starship would be. The endless hours at warp, the monotony of flying through never-ending, empty space.

She stole a glance to her left and took in Lieutenant Borais Noran's excellent posture, even after four hours sitting in that chair he remained perfectly straight. How did he do that?

The doors to the Captain's Ready Room hissed open and the two officers emerged. Harker was smiling softly but Ri seemed to be red in the face and about to burst. As the Bajoran reached the turbolift and waited for the doors to open, everything went wrong at once.

PART TWO

Ri gave an angry yell as he was thrown violently to the floor of the bridge, the Yorktown lurching horribly. At the Science Station, Commander Allen's knuckles turned white as he groaned and gripped his console tight enough to leave visible fingerprints. He closed his eyes, holding on for dear life.

Captain Harker was still on his feet but steadying himself with a hand on Noran's shoulder. "What the hell was _that_? Anyone?"

The panic in Ensign Ricardo's voice was more than evident. "Felt like we hit something… an asteroid? Oh God, another ship."

Noran's reply was totally calm but tinged with what sounded like amusement. "That's a negative Ensign; our sensors are still up…"

Harker seemed to relax and shifted his hand to the back of the Cardassian's chair. "Quite, we'd have seen it coming a lightyear away. Besides if we'd hit either of them we'd be in a million pieces right now."

Allen began to breathe again and focused on the starfield on the main viewer. "We're dropping out of warp, Captain."

Ri picked himself up and straightened his uniform, smoothing out an imagined crease on his tunic. "Well, I'm glad that's over"

Suddenly, another violent lurch rocked the Bridge, the inertia pulling everyone down. "Famous last words, Commander?" quipped Harker, though there was little humour in his tone. Ri grumbled and pulled himself to his feet awkwardly.

The ship was spinning and shaking horribly, making a noise like tearing metal.

"Damage report!" Roberts cried.

Noran fought back the nausea he had been hiding and opened his eyes to check the flashing readout. "Inertial dampers… offline! Hull breaches on Decks 9, 10 and 11! Warp and impulse engines are down! Multiple casualties…" He paused to get his breath. "We've lost attitude control…"

"And spinning like a top!" Allen yelled. "We're dead in the water!"

"I'd hesitate to call us dead, Mr. Allen," said Harker "We still have life support..."

Noran called out over his shoulder. "Sir, I can't get anything from the engine room... sensors and comms are down!"

Harker looked at his Chief Engineer. "Ri?"

The Bajoran understood, heading once more to the turbolift and banging his palm against the door angrily when it refused to open. The sudden noise caused everyone to turn around and stare.

"Mr Dugahn!" shouted Harker. "The Yorktown's in enough trouble as it is - calm yourself. Number one, any suggestions?"

The first officer sighed. "Transporters seem to be operational Captain, we could…"

"Good…," Harker interrupted. "Mr. Allen, you have the center seat. Noran, you're with me!"

PART THREE

Lieutenant Veneris woke from a foggy dream, the sheets tangled awkwardly around her legs. Taking a few moments to centre herself, she focused on the still vibrant images. Still so much to understand about the workings of the Vulcan mind, how strange that a simple vision could be so… unnerving. Using her dream realization training she had begun to control her surroundings, the better to interpret them but something had woken her at a crucial moment. She felt the change in the ship's velocity as it dropped out of warp and checked the chronometer on the nearby wall, still two days away from Dante XII. As Veneris slid out of the bed and headed towards the replicator a sudden violent lurch threw her onto her side. She landed hard but was on her feet in seconds and running for the door, fighting against the sudden pull of the ships spin.

Materialising with Ensign Noran in the corridor, Captain Harker spared a moment to thank the gods for the ship's auxiliary power; the shimmering force field was all that now protected the hallway from open space. Several bodies lay around the deck, none of them were moving. The two officers took a few minutes to check for signs of life but it was a lost cause. Noran glanced at the Captain's impassive expression, if there was any grief Harker did well to hide it.

There was an abrupt change in momentum and the familiar sound of the engines droned through the deck again. At least it looked like Dugahn had got partial power back, the ship had finally stopped spinning and was now deathly still.

Noran muttered as he counted the number of damaged systems to himself, probably estimating how long it'd take to repair, thought Harker as the lights flickered around him. The first thing he noticed were the hairs on the back of his arms tingling, a sudden feeling of light-headedness and before he knew it, the PADD on his hands began to lift slowly into the air.

"Sir, the gravity just went offline…" said Noran, stating the obvious.

"No kidding" he laughed, despite the grave situation.

Veneris lost her footing and floated towards the ceiling; she fought against the sudden disorientation and closed her eyes, using handholds to launch herself forward towards the entrance to the jeffries tube. As she released the clamps holding the hatch in place she floated backwards slightly to let it drift by. It bumped noisily against the corridor wall and continued on an awkward trajectory till it was out of sight.

She moved quickly hand over hand along the narrow tube until she found the exit she was looking for, with the gentlest of nudges she floated swiftly into engineering.

"Lieutenant Commander..."

Ri didn't seem to notice her.

"Commander!"

He glanced over his shoulder quickly and returned to working on the cracked display. "Please inform the Captain I'll have artificial gravity back in just a moment."

"Actually Mr. Ri, I was wondering if I may be of some assistance," replied Veneris.

He smiled. "Are you sure you want to dirty your hands down here with me? I imagine there are a few things you can do on the bridge."

"The condition of my hands is quite irrelevant; I am merely here to offer aid."

"Since when are you an Engineer?" Ri asked.

"I am Vulcan. We can… multitask."

Ri clucked his tongue and motioned to his left. "There's a spare toolkit under the console."

Veneris stripped off her jacket and let if float free, rolling up the sleeves on her shirt. By the time she'd turned back Ri has moved to the side to allow her access. "Take this, bypass that and don't touch that," ordered the Bajoran. Veneris almost raised an eyebrow.

On the bridge Allen looked uncomfortable: held into place by the seatbelt on the captain's chair, he still floated several inches off the cushioned surface.

Ensign Ricardo squeezed her eyes shut tightly and simply held on to her chair as best she could, wondering why her station wasn't similarly arranged. "Urgh, I think I'm going to be sick."

"Stay focused Ensign, I'm sure the gravity will return shortly," said the Science Officer.

As if in answer, a crewman landed hard behind them as the systems came back online, followed by the intercom crackling to life.

"Ri to the bridge, full power now restored," the Chief Engineer's voice said, while Noran and Veneris appeared from the turbolift and headed to their stations.

"Finally" Allen unbuckled himself and headed to ops to stand behind him. "What's the story, Borias?"

Noran frowned. "I beg your pardon Commander?"

Allen cleared his throat. "Status, Mr. Noran, status."

The Cardassian was about to begin his full report when he paused and looked oddly at his display,

"Is there a problem, Ensign?" asked Allen.

"The sensors… Sir I'm not sure, it may be an anomaly due to the accident. But for a moment they picked up a… glitch."

Allen frowned this time. "A glitch? Can you be more specific?"

Harker stepped off the turbolift and made his way to the center seat. Before he could sit down however, his First Officer cried out in alarm. "Captain!"

A Romulan Warbird suddenly decloaked, materializing directly to the stern and utterly dwarfing the _Yorktown_.

"Shields?" requested Harker.

Veneris shook her head. "Shields are offline, Captain."

"Great." The various solutions for their current predicament racing through Harker's mind were interrupted by an unexpected noise from the Tactical console.

"Captain, they're hailing us. Audio only," said Veneris.

"Let's hear it."

"Federation Starship, this is the Romulan vessel _Hnoiyika_. Do you require assistance?"

The bridge let loose a collective sigh of relief. Heidi slid a few inches down her chair and said a silent prayer.

Harker waited expectantly in the transporter room with Veneris. After an uncomfortable minute two figures materialized on the deck ahead. A tall, thin man dressed in a typical Romulan military uniform and a shorter, more severe looking individual. From his dress he was of a higher rank. Harker gambled and addressed him directly. "Welcome aboard the _Yorktown_, Commander. I'm sorry we couldn't meet under better circumstances."

The shorter man nodded a brief greeting and spoke. "I am D'rel and this is my First Officer Vaebn. You are most fortunate we detected your ship when we did." He stepped down from the transporter pad and offered his hand. Harker was amazed at the very human gesture.

For the rest of the day and well into the next, the Romulan and _Yorktown_ crew struggled to get the ship running. It seemed just as one component was repaired it led to another malfunction, an endless game of cat and mouse. At one point the carbon dioxide filters across the first twelve decks failed. It took fourteen crew members reporting to sickbay with severe headaches and nausea to raise the alarm and rectify the problem.

Unnoticed by either crew, a lone Romulan broke away from a group assigned to Deck 8 and made his way quietly to Jeffries Tube 56. A Starfleet officer in a gold highlighted uniform waited there quietly and stared at him suspiciously as he approached. He was hoping to surprise the Romulan but his voice came out as little more than a croak. "Over here."

The Starfleet officer smiled nervously as the Romulan came forward. "I did what you asked: the ship is crippled, it'll be days before we can limp back to a Starbase for an overhaul. More than enough time for you to finish." He waited expectantly.

The Romulan's voice was cold and emotionless. "More than enough time."

"The coordinates? The planet? We had a deal."

"I'm afraid the deal has been altered," the Romulan said, almost smugly. "I hope this will not… inconvenience you."

In the galley, almost directly below Jeffries tube 56, Ensign Calloway raised his head and gazed at the environmental vent. That almost sounded like a phaser blast. Probably still some engineering work going on up there. He made a mental note to ask a member of security later and went back to eating his meal.

Doctor Lisa Ricardo made her way wearily along the corridor. She'd just finished a 35-hour shift, something she hadn't pulled off since the Academy. The lights surrounding her flickered a number of times: the ship was still having problems despite the enormous amount of work completed on the damaged areas.

As she neared her quarters she noticed an unusual odour. Was Heidi experimenting with the replicator again? Lisa entered their quarters and stopped, puzzled. It didn't smell at all in here; her daughter was apparently still on duty. So what was that enticing fragrance?

The Doctor went outside, walking along the length of the hallway and back trying to locate the emission. After a few minutes she deduced correctly that a panel near the floor was the source. "Ricardo to Engineering, can you spare a moment?"

Three minutes later, Ri and Lisa peered into the small crawlspace. Almost completely black, the stench was now overpowering. Lisa turned away in disgust, breathing heavily her initial intrigue at the smell had been replaced by revulsion. If it affected the Bajoran he made no sign. Ri seemed to sense her discomfort however and turned to face her. "Are you alright, Doctor? You seem a little pale."

Lisa felt embarrassed. "Sorry, I'm not used to being out of Sickbay; away missions aren't my thing."

"I see. Don't concern yourself; I'm almost certain there's no danger," Ri said... his sarcasm seeping out.

_Thanks, that's reassuring_. Lisa steeled herself and nodded ahead. "After you, then."

The two shuffled along slowly on their hands and knees, at a junction, a plasma conduit was flickering hypnotically. To the left of it, hidden in a shallow niche, was what looked like hunks of meat bubbled and hissed. They paused and looked at the scene in silence.

After several seconds Ri seemed to come to a decision and touched the communicator on his chest. "Ri to the Captain… Sir, we have a problem."

Harker's voice was strained with fatigue. "Go ahead Commander, you have my attention."

Ri took a deep breath. "We have what appears to be a… _body_ in junction 4a."

"Another accident?"

The Engineer looked at Lisa, who was grimacing. "I am… unsure, Captain," he eventually said.

Veneris had joined Ri and Lisa in the Jefferies Tube, and she probed the body's remains with a length of tubing, "Intriguing. The body's proximity to the faulty conduit was the catalyst for its deterioration."

The Doctor gagged and fought against a sudden onset of claustrophobia.

Ri balked at the Vulcan's almost casual description of the remains, not male or female anymore, simply "it". This was clearly a member of the crew: though almost nonexistent, the few remains that _were_ there clearly showed a gold division Starfleet uniform.

Lisa breathed deeply. "Seems that wasn't enough to finish them off. Lieutenant, I'd appreciate it if we returned to Sickbay with the victim; I'll need to perform an autopsy."

"Captain's Log: Stardate 58733.6

The _Yorktown_ seems to be back in working order. But our troubles have only escalated: a body has been found mutilated in a Jefferies Tube. Though it makes me feel sick to think about it, the condition of the remains points to one logical conclusion."

Harker sat behind his Ready Room desk, while Commander Allen stood rigid to the side, wide-eyed. "Did I just hear you correctly Doctor?" the Science Officer asked. "_Murder_?"

Lisa leant against the wall near the replicator, holding her coffee and watching the two men intently. Harker answered for her. "I'm afraid so. As if we didn't have enough problems. This accident, a horde of inquisitive Romulans and now someone killed, on my ship!" He spat the last words angrily and stood, heading toward the window to gaze upon the huge D'deridex Class Warbird. "Do we have a name yet, Doctor?"

Lisa sipped from her coffee, which was calming her ironic nausea. "The dead and injured had already been accounted for following the initial accident but a crewman failed to report for duty earlier. The DNA matches up to one Lieutenant Junior Grade, Cass Harrison."

Harker looked over his shoulder towards Allen. "I've run into him a few times," he answered to the unasked question. "He left his family behind when he was assigned here. Average worker, but pretty quiet. No after hours activities. Kept himself to himself."

Harker turned from the window. "I see." The powerful green glow from the Warbird kept his large frame in shadow. He'd already made up his mind. "Ri will have the engines back online shortly; when he does we'll head immediately to Starbase 173 for a full investigation."

The Doctor and Commander looked at each other in surprise. "Captain?" queried the former.

"Unfortunately Doctor, I'm a cynical, suspicious man," said Harker. "The accident on its own I can believe. Given Mr. Ri's overall report of the _Yorktown_ I almost expected it. But now a man has been killed. Quite frankly this strikes me as too convenient."

"Your orders then?" asked Allen.

"I want hourly reports from all stations heads; if even the slightest thing is amiss I want to know about it. I want these Romulans off my ship… and Doctor?"

Lisa held her breath.

Harker smiled slightly. "Get some rest. You look exhausted."

By 0300 hours the ship was well into its night shift. As the majority of the crew slept soundly, the shadow moved toward engineering, slowly making its way towards weapon control.

The Morning passed by with no further incident. The _Yorktown_, now with impulse power restored, was now well underway. They had left the _Hnoiyika_ behind hours earlier, and conditions had been set to green, giving everyone time for a much needed rest.

Lisa Ricardo sat at the dinner table in her quarters and pushed her plate away.

"Mom? Aren't you hungry?" At the opposite end of the table, Heidi put down her spoon and gave her mother a worried look.

Lisa sighed. "I'm just not in the mood for breakfast."

The young Ensign moved her chair and began to clear the table, placing the plates and cutlery in the replicator slot. "You promise to eat something later?"

"I'll have time," Lisa said. "Most of the wounded are back on duty, there's only a few serious cases. Nothing I can't handle."

"But you're still bothered by something."

Her back straightened noticeably.

"It's what you found isn't it?" her daughter offered offered.

_Smart girl. So much like her father it scares me._ Lisa thought ruefully. Fortunately, Heidi did not appear to notice any change in her demeanor. Lisa slowly nodded. "Something doesn't feel right, love; I can't put my finger on it." She looked over at her daughter and grinned, trying to assure her. "I want another look at that body."

In Sickbay, the stench from the remains had mercifully gone but nothing could eliminate the horrific sight. The room was empty, all the inhabitants had been moved and the nurses dismissed. Now she was free of pressure, Lisa was in her element, moving quickly and concisely.

As she worked, the Doctor spoke out loud, theorizing and analyzing to the Autopsy Report Recorder. "The uniform is all but gone, obviously burned away in the first moments." She lifted what appeared to be a partial fragment of Harrison's chest. "Hmm, arterial degradation is also consistent with extreme heat."

Lisa reached for a scalpel as a thought suddenly flashed into her head. "But… There are still some traces of the heart. Carbonized fragments, minute traces of… of…"

The Doctor paused and held the instrument steadily. She looked up in alarm "Oh my…" She dropped the scalpel on the tray and rushed out of the room.

In his Ready Room, Harker pinched the bridge of his nose. "A Romulan weapon? Please tell me you're joking Doctor."

"I don't have that great a sense of humour Darin," replied Lisa.

"I thought that was Veneris."

Lisa impatiently shook her head. "Mmm, Maybe I'm spending too much time with her."

"Something still feels off," mused Harker.

"I know!" Lisa threw her hands into the air. "They got sloppy, my guess is they weren't familiar with the damaged systems and didn't know the effect the intermittent plasma would have on the body. They assumed, incorrectly, it would be completely destroyed."

"So they didn't concern themselves with disguising the weapon damage."

"Exactly. The heart Captain. It's made from some of the toughest material in the body. And fortunately it held the key to Harrison's death. The killer aimed directly for it and that… that was his undoing." Lisa almost shook trying to get the point across.

Harker didn't need to question her findings. He moved to press the desk communicator and signal the bridge but before he could, it chimed musically. "Ri to Captain Harker"

"Go ahead, Commander."

"Sir, one of my team has found something in engineering. A device…" His voice paused. "Sir it looks like a Romulan explosive."

The Captain scowled deeply. "That settles it." He pressed his communicator to the bridge. "Ensign Ricardo, turn us around." He looked at the Doctor. "I want another word with those Romulans."

PART FOUR

Sub-Commander Vaebn reacted as if slapped.

"How dare you?? We offer you our hand in friendship and trust, we save your _life_ and this is how you repay us? With accusations?"

In stark contrast to his second in command, Commander D'rel remained stoic, his voice completely neutral. "Calm yourself, Sub-Commander." The aggression leaving his body, Vaebn stepped back and stood behind D'rel, his head bowed submissively.

D'rel turned purposefully to Harker. "Let me assure you Captain: no one on board my ship is guilty of this so called… murder."

Harker nodded and lowered his eyes, staring at a speck of dirt on his sleeve intently. "Forgive me; it wasn't my intention to accuse you directly. It's… difficult for me. Not easy to face former adversaries, to be helped in such a manner without feeling paranoid. Without imagining that you have some ulterior motive."

"I applaud your honesty Captain," said D'rel, smiling in admiration. "Paranoia runs rampant in my race; it is a difficult trait indeed to overcome."

The two men relaxed notably. Harker contemplated that if the circumstances were different, another time, another place, they could have been friends. He smiled hopefully. "Would you like a drink?" Standing and stepping over to the nearby table where he had earlier arranged a carafe of Romulan Ale, he continued to talk as he poured two glasses.

"The facts, as we understand them are this. My ship, the _Yorktown_, has been sabotaged and a member of my crew has been killed in mysterious circumstances. At first my suspicions led me to believe it was one of my own. Now evidence points to the use of what appears to be a Romulan disruptor." He paused to gauge their reactions. "And my Chief Engineer has recently uncovered a device connected to our warp core."

Vaebn turned red in the face. "You have the audacity…"

D'rel interrupted his officer quickly. "Sub-Commander, you are dismissed. Please return to the _Hnoiyika_ and perform a thorough search, deck by deck. Report any anomalies to me when you are done."

The slim Romulan left Harker and his rival Captain alone without further protest.

"My apologies, Captain Harker," D'rel sighed. "My crew is under a lot of pressure. And as I mentioned, certain characteristics of my species are hard to put aside. Vaebn is not noted for his tact."

Harker nodded his understanding.

"This device…" D'rel continued, then paused to sip his drink thoughtfully. "You are certain it is of Romulan design?"

After hours of painstaking and backbreaking work, Ri was finally finishing the repairs. It had taken longer than he had estimated, no thanks to the damn Romulans. The Commander of the Warbird had returned to his ship with his First Officer meekly in tow. Hopefully Harker had given them a piece of his mind. If that scruffy Human was good for something it was airing grievances.

Ri stood and stretched, leaning tiredly on the console. Engaging the startup routines he allowed himself a smile, which turned into grimace of anger when the system promptly switched itself off.

All Ri's frustration was unleashed and he brought his palm down on the display with unnecessary force. "Come on you useless piece of junk… YES!"

The display came alive with a blaze of light. To Ri's surprise though, it began to run through a series of commands he hadn't inputted. "Wait… what the…"

On the bridge, Harker paced back and forth trying to piece everything together. A gradual whine began to build causing him to stop and tilt his head in concern. What was that noise?

As if in answer, a phaser blast from the _Yorktown's _lateral array suddenly hammered the Warbird. With its shields down the ship was taken completely by surprise.

Harker stared open mouthed as alarms began to blare all over the bridge.

Another blast, and then another sent the Warbird spinning away. Fate or blind luck saved it from total destruction, the fully charged phasers hitting non vital areas. But that last blow came perilously close to their bridge.

_Now_ what??

In the engine room Dughan stared in horror as the phasers went into overdrive, the computer was again charging the weapon banks to maximum in readiness to fire. Thinking quickly he tore out the new bypasses he had made to the photon torpedo launchers and sprinted towards the main power relay, picking up a heavy hydro spanner as he ran. With all his strength he swung the tool high above his head and brought it crashing down on the relay. A shower of sparks covered him and arcs of powerful energy raced up his arms. With a cry he dropped the spanner and fell back just as the entire power grid shut down. He stared at the destroyed computer consoles and held his face in his hands. Hours of work wasted, this was becoming very frustrating.

The bridge was plunged into utter darkness.

By the time auxiliary power kicked in all eyes were on Harker. "Who fired? Will somebody explain what the hell just happened?"

Noran's fingers darted urgently over the Ops controls. "There's no question Captain, the phasers came from the _Yorktown_."

Harker stared in horror at the Warbird on the viewscreen as it spiraled helplessly in space. "We can't afford the time to figure this out right now. Harker to Doctor Ricardo, prepare a team. "He turned to Tactical. "Veneris, you too, we've beaming aboard."

Allen stood quickly. "I have to protest Captain."

"Allen there's no time to argue…"

"Don't make me quote Starfleet regulations at you sir," interrupted the Executive Officer. "I'll handle the team. Your place is on the Bridge."

Harker knew the danger of beaming over but he also applauded his First Officer's intelligence. If the Romulans reacted in a hostile manner, getting the Captain killed or taken captive would be the end of everything. He nodded his acceptance.

As Allen and Veneris left the bridge and raced toward to the transporter room, Harker turned to face Borias at the ops station. "Hail the Warbird, signal our immediate surrender and tell them we're beaming over to offer aid."

The scene aboard the _Hnoiyika_ was one of total chaos. The away team had appeared directly on the Warbird's bridge. The forward facing stations were all destroyed, their former handlers lying unmoving underneath the debris. Vaebn saw them approach and stopped attending to the injured D'rel to point accusingly. "You did this. You will die for…"

Allen held up a hand and stopped him mid-sentence. "We're here to help dammit! If you want your Commander to live let our Doctor through."

Vaebn seethed but stepped aside, allowing Ricardo room to maneuver. She ran her tricorder carefully over D'rel's body. "He's unconscious but stable. It's a miracle he's still alive. It's safe to transport him back to the _Yorktown_. What are the casualties?"

Vaebn spat the words like a threat. "Nine dead, too many wounded to count."

The Doctor handed another tricorder and med-kit to Veneris. "Lieutenant, take this, help the serious cases first."

An hour later in his Ready Room, Harker sat with his hands folded and waited for Sub-Commander Vaebn to stop shouting long enough to get a word in. When he felt the man was calm enough he finally spoke.

"In spite of your concerns it's clear the _Hnoiyika_ wasn't the intended target, if we hadn't turned the _Yorktown_ back and sought you out… the consequences could have been disastrous."

"You think this is fortunate? Don't be absurd." The venom was more than evident in Vaebn's tone.

Harker was unfazed. "What I'm referring to is the avoidance of a major intergalactic incident. If the _Yorktown_ had fired upon a Vulcan ship, or god forbid a _Klingon_ one…"

"Yes, I see your point. How convenient for you that your target was merely _us_."

Harker noted that sarcasm from a Romulan truly was something to behold. "Now just hold on mister…"

"My Commander is seriously injured which places me in a position of authority," Vaebn interrupted. "Do not begin to think you can play me for a fool." He paused and turned his back on Harker. "You willingly surrendered your vessel and its crew unto us. Once our repairs are complete you will be escorted to Romulus and tried as enemies of the Empire."

Harker knew where this was going. "Where we will no doubt be found guilty and executed."

"That is not for me to say." was the smug response. "We are done here." The Romulan began to walk towards the door. Harker forced him to stop suddenly.

"One hour."

"I beg your pardon Captain?"

Harker narrowed his eyes. "Give us an hour's respite. You can search the _Yorktown_. If you don't find anything I will offer no resistance: we'll return to Romulan space with you willingly."

There was a sudden change in the Vaebn's eyes. Was that fear? The hairs on the back of Harker's neck stood to attention. "What makes you think we will find something?" asked the Sub-Commander.

"My guess is there's one more device. Something we've overlooked or something that's been placed recently. Whatever it is, it'll be keyed to go off at a certain point. Eliminating the _Yorktown_. Making it look like we destroyed ourselves and confirmed our guilt." Harker said all this matter-of-factly. He was good at covering his concern.

"No," said Vaebn. "Request denied Captain. There will be no pointless searching. No more bargains. You will beam to my ship at once."

"_Your_ ship, Vaebn?"

The voice from the open doorway caused the Sub-Commander to spin around in shock.

Commander D'rel stood there proudly, staring coldly at his second in command. "While I still live the _Hnoiyika_ is under my control."

"Commander... I…" Vaebn regained his composure and stood to attention. "I was merely following protocol. They surrendered to us."

"Leave us." D'rel's tone left nothing for debate.

When they were alone, D'rel leant painfully against the nearby wall and took several deep breaths. When Harker stood to offer assistance he merely held up his hand and shook his head. "One hour, Captain. Then I'm afraid I will have to abide by my Sub-Commander's... recommendation."

As the _Yorktown_ was searched, Harker accompanied D'rel back to Sickbay. Though traveling to and from the Ready Room had clearly taken a lot out of him, he walked without aid. Harker had rarely seen such strength.

"Your Doctor is a most remarkable woman, Captain," said the Romulan.

"Indeed she is." Harker smiled.

"I only wish my crew was as accomplished." D'rel almost sighed. "We would greatly benefit from learning your training methods."

"Am I correct in assuming you have no Doctor on board?" Harker was genuinely intrigued, not to mention surprised at the Romulan's compliment of Starfleet methods.

"We have decent enough medical supplies and first aid knowledge but ships of the Empire see no reason for such specialized posts."

Harker mused that admission. He knew the Romulans were strict: but not having an assigned medical division? It defied belief.

They reached Sickbay to find Vaebn already there, apparently offering aid. He handed the tricorder back to a nurse and after a curt nod to the two Commanding Officers, resumed talking to an injured crewman.

Harker eventually returned to the bridge and left D'rel on the biobed. After a few more minutes treatment Lisa put aside her instruments. "How do you feel Commander?" she asked in her angelic bedside voice.

He moved his arms and breathed deeply. "I think I am well enough to return to my duties now, Doctor. Thank you."

Lisa smiled. "All in a days work." She turned her head at the sound of the doorway opening. Her smiled faded to be replaced with concern as her daughter entered.

She walked over to the Ensign. "Heidi, what are you doing here?"

Heidi blushed. "My shift was over... I wanted to see if you were OK."

Lisa blinked. "Of course I'm OK. Why would..." She suddenly stopped. Of course. It was the presence of so many Romulans. A people who had strained relations with the Federation as it was, and whom they had until just a few hours ago appeared to fire upon. "I'm fine, sweetie," she said softly.

Unnoticed, Vaebn glared at them from across the room. If it were physically possible, the wheels would have been visible turning in his eyes.

Vaebn spoke urgently to the Commanding Officer of the _Hnoiyika_, now sat upright on the biobed. "Commander, what you overheard earlier... surely you concur."

D'rel sighed. "No, I do not, Vaebn."

The subordinate blinked. "But sir, how can you not? These people _fired_ on our vessel... they tried to destroy us..."  
"Look around you, Vaebn," D'rel interrupted. "Do these people act like our enemies?" Vaebn followed D'rel's gaze and looked around the entire Sickbay. Several Starfleet nurses were diligently tending to the wounded officers of the _Hnoiyika_. All of them appeared professional; determined to help the Romulans as much as possible.

"But sir... they are… _Federation fvai._"

"Unlike you, Vaebn," said D'rel, "I prefer _facts_ to speculation. Since granting Captain Harker time to investigate, certain information has come to light. Yes, their phasers malfunctioned but they gave us access to their logs. In fact, the _Yorktown_ crew have not hidden _anything_, granting us full access to their ship. Despite what their readouts say, they _did not_ intentionally fire. Also, if they had done so, why would two of their number beam aboard the _Hnoiyika_? They would have finished the job." His eyes narrowed and he stared at his first officer hard enough to bore holes right through him, "And there is the matter of the final explosive. Harker was correct; we did indeed discover evidence of further tampering. This talk will continue on the Hnoiyika. I have many issues to discuss with you _Sub_ Commander"

"But sir..." Vaebn repeated.

"Silence. I will have no more of your distrust. The _Yorktown_ has been completely cooperative in this investigation: they are not hiding anything. I am certain." D'rel's voice then lowered slightly. "_Areinnye!_ Vaebn, this is a precarious time: we are on the verge of an alliance with the Federation. _An alliance!_ We can do without you and your foolish accusations." With that, he turned away, signaling the end of the discussion.

Vaebn stood in silence, clenching his jaw: his plan began to unravel before his eyes. He had to move fast.

D'rel and Vaebn were the last members of their crew to leave sickbay. As D'rel held the communicator, Heidi noticed something odd. Vaebn had begun to distance himself from his superior. As the familiar whine of the transporter effect began he played with something hidden in his hand, watching with amusement as the Commander beamed away without him. D'rel's face was one of utter confusion.

All of Heidi's senses cried out in alarm... his amused smile had _meant_ something. Without thinking, she rushed toward the Romulan to tackle him head on.

To her shock, he was on her in an instant, twisting her arm painfully behind her back and using her full body as a shield. "Foolish humans. You are far too trusting."

Lisa span around and gasped. What the hell... ??

"Step forward slowly Doctor, make no sudden moves." Vaebn's arm had locked against Heidi's neck, ready to snap it at a moments notice.

The Doctor stared in terror and instead moved backwards towards the desk, carefully palming a hypospray of anestazine. "Please... don't hurt her..."

Vaebn quickly pulled out his weapon and held it to Heidi's head. "You will cooperate _Doctor_ or I will burn your daughter alive in front of your eyes."

Tears flowed down her cheeks as Lisa shook her head. "Please... what do you want?"

"Don't do it mom, don't give him the satisfaction!" Heidi hissed with difficulty.

Lisa's hands dropped to her sides and released the hypospray, it clattered to the floor. "I'm sorry, sweetheart."

Vaebn turned the phaser towards the Doctor, cruelly smiled and opened fire.

PART FIVE

Heidi watched everything as if it moved in slow motion.

The hypospray seemed to take hours to fall to the deck. She felt the Romulan's hand move away from her head and his body tense in readiness. There was no time to second guess, the weapon was aimed directly at the Doctor's heart. His finger moved achingly slowly over the disruptor activator, in another moment he was going to fire and kill her mother. If he had switched the weapon to his right hand there was no way she could have stopped him.

Lisa glanced at her daughter through her tears. Heidi prayed. _Left, left, left. Fall towards to left, Mom_.

As Vaebn pressed the stud she cried out and jumped on his arm with all her weight. She was shocked by how rigid he was despite his slender frame and pulled down as hard as she could. The shot veered wide and her mother, as if reading her mind, ducked to her left.

It was not enough.

The disruptor blast hit Lisa's arm and she screamed in pain, crashing to the ground.

Before Vaebn could fire again, Heidi swung her elbow into his ribcage and followed through with a fist to his chin. He fell backwards hard, the weapon clattering under the nearby bio bed. Under different circumstances, Heidi would have been impressed: she had no idea she was that strong.

The door to Sickbay hissed open and Veneris rushed in, her phaser covering the downed Romulan. Heidi had never felt so relieved. He smiled sickeningly, getting shakily to his feet and backing into the corner. With a look at the Ensign filled with utter loathing he pressed his belt with a loud click, suddenly disappearing with a shimmering blue aura.

"No!!" Heidi cried, running over to his former space. "He has to pay!!"

Veneris held the Helmswoman's shoulders. "Calm yourself, Ensign. You are needed elsewhere."

Heidi looked at her with furious eyes. The Vulcan simply nodded to the downed Medical Officer.

Realization dawned, and Heidi ran to her mother's side. "MOM!"

Lisa smiled grimly. "I'm fine... _owww_..." She hissed as pain rushed through her wound. "But he got me good." She tilted her head to the nearby table. "Hand me that med-kit, honey"

Despite her well honed emotional control, the Chief of Security almost smiled at the Doctor's caring tone. She cleared her thoughts and returned to what was important "Veneris to the Bridge. I want a full sensor sweep, please locate Sub-Commander Vaebn."

"I'm sorry Lieutenant," Noran's voice replied. "He's gone. There's no trace of him on the _Yorktown_."

Veneris raised an eyebrow to hide her irritation.

On the viewscreen D'rel issued orders frantically to his crew and turned back towards Harker. "There is no sign. If Vaebn beamed away it wasn't to the _Hnoiyika_."

Harker grit his teeth. Despite what he had seen from the Romulan... feelings of distrust crept in. "Very well, Commander," he said meaningfully. The screen switched off and Harker fell into his chair, barely resisting the urge to break something.

Vaebn was gone. Vanished. As if the bastard never existed.

EPILOGUE _Stardate 58776.9_

A different Starbase, a different moon. The stars still shone brightly but Mars was now a mere pinprick of light, far, far away. Harker leaned against the glass of the window, letting its cool surface relax him. After two whole weeks at Starbase 455, empty space beckoned to him like a siren. He longed to be back out there. Starfleet's investigation had turned up a few interesting leads but without further Romulan cooperation there was only so much they could discover.

A noise at the door forced Harker out of his daydream. "Enter."

Allen strode in confidently. "The final report for you, Captain."

Harker sat and scanned it quickly. "Any conclusions?"

Allen shook his head. "All we know for sure is that Harrison's family went missing three months ago from a planet relatively close to Romulan space. If I had to guess I'd say that he was being blackmailed."

Harker sighed, and almost slammed the PADD onto his desk. "I refuse to accept Vaebn was working alone. There's too many questions. Why the _Yorktown_? We've come so far with the Romulans... to be brought back from the very brink of war. Why would they throw it all away?"

The Science Officer looked sympathetic. "My opinion sir? They wouldn't. There's something or someone else behind this."

"A renegade faction." Harker chilled at the concept.

Allen nodded slightly. "Possibly."

Harker frowned.

"Anything else?"

"The Romulans have informed us they are starting their own investigation," said Allen. "But without the assistance of the Tal Shiar, it may take a while."

The door opened and a Starbase officer popped his head in. "Captain, your ship is ready for inspection."

"Thank you, Lieutenant," said Harker, and the man disappeared as quickly as he appeared. Harker turned back to Allen and sat with his hands folded underneath his chin, unmoving. Allen broke the silence. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"I dislike loose ends Rich. I've a bad feeling this mystery is going to run and run. It's not over as long as Vaebn is still out there."

Allen sighed. "I know."

Harker finally stood and the two men left the briefing room, beginning the short walk to the transporter.

"In spite of the trouble sir I think you've made some allies among the Romulans," said Allen eventually.

Harker dared a smile. "I hope so. I've a feeling in the next few months we're going to need all the help we can get."

They reached the transporter without any further discussion and stood together on the pad. Harker took one last look around the room, the large window nearby offered an impressive view of his ship in the dock. Now fully repaired she looked magnificent. He finally understood how the Admiral felt.

He smiled and nodded to the transporter operator. "Energize."

Like ghostly fire, the blue glow quickly expanded and surrounded the two officers, carrying them back to the Yorktown and onto their next mission. Onto the future.


End file.
